A Conversation With Dumbledore
by AuthorA97
Summary: Harry has some questions for Dumbledore after the Department of Mysteries) (Part 2 of my '52 Weeks, 52 Stories' Challenge)


Harry had just come back from the Ministry. It was, arguably, the worst day of his life. He had just watched his godfather fall into the Veil at the Department of Mysteries.

He was sitting with Dumbledore now. There was a heavy smell of old books and the potions in the corner. Fawkes was resting on his perch, looking around as if he had no care for what else was going on in the room. Harry knew the bird was smarter than it looked though. He could still remember feel of the burning tears Fawkes had given Harry, down in the Chamber back in Second Year.

Harry focused back on Dumbledore. The Hogwarts Headmaster was wearing one of his extremely colorful wizard robes. Harry likened this one to something one of those Oompa-Loompas would wear from that book about a chocolate factory. Harry got to read it when Dudley binned it (he thought it was a chocolate book, not a book about chocolate).

They were talking about what had happened, as terrible as it was the first time around. Harry didn't know how he wasn't a crumpling mess. He should be, right? His godfather had just died. Why wasn't he crying?

Still, without breaking down, Harry explained everything to Dumbledore.

"Did you rescue the Prophecy?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry shook his head. "It shattered in the fight."

Dumbledore nodded. He was pleased as punch about that answer.

"Professor, I was wondering. Could you tell me what it said?" Harry asked. "Since it was so important."

Then the Headmaster of Hogwarts guffawed. He wanted to know why Harry would have asked him such a thing. Dumbledore assured himself that it was because the boy didn't know any better. He set out to correct the problem.

"I apologize, Harry, but I cannot tell you about the Prophecy." Dumbledore shook his head, forlorn.

This made Harry curious. Of course, lots of things made Harry curious, not all of them lead him to good events. If he had realized this, Harry would've been more careful as he went forward. "Why not?"

"Because Lord Voldemort has access to your memories, to your mind. You are connected to him." Dumbledore explained carefully.

Harry paused to wrap his mind around that answer. He knew about the connection now, he knew what dangers came with it. He didn't think he'd ever be able to forget it. After the failed attempts at learning Occlumency (which Harry blamed all on Snape) it was clear Harry shouldn't have any information they didn't want getting to Lord Voldemort be in Harry's mind. "Okay. So I can't know about the Prophecy, or else he'll read it from my mind. Got it."

He didn't like this way. He didn't think the rest of the DA would like it much either. For all the trouble they went through at the Ministry they should have some idea of what they could've died for. Harry would just have to tell them it wasn't safe to know.

"No, my boy. He is already aware of the contents of the Prophecy." Dumbledore corrected.

Harry made a 'what the heck' face. He mentally repeated what Dumbledore had just said, in case he'd misheard. It took three tries for Harry to realize that he'd heard Dumbledore correctly. "Then why don't you tell me?" He asked after a pause.

"Because Voldemort is in your mind, so what you know he shall know." Dumbledore answered with an unspoken 'obviously' hanging in the air.

Harry took another minute to pause. He'd had a lot of weird conversations with wizards- ("Yer a wizard, Harry." "When it's brother, gave you that scar." "Nah, it's just chocolate, not a real frog." "The Servant Shall Reunite with His Master!" "We'll be killed, or worse, expelled!")- this one was pushing his limits of weirdness.

"Let me get this straight." Harry began. He sat forward in his chair, staring Dumbledore down. "He already knows the Prophecy."

"Correct." Dumbledore agreed.

"I can't know about the Prophecy, unless we want Voldemort to know the Prophecy?" Harry went on.

There was a twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes. "Indeed."

"He can look inside my mind, for the Prophecy he already knows." Harry added.

"Yes!" Dumbledore cheered. He was happy Harry seemed to be seeing things Dumbledore's way.

"But if he already knows then what's the harm in telling me? Shouldn't I know too? Just to level the playing field?" Harry asked. For one shining moment, Harry might've been Sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Goodness sakes, my boy, aren't you paying attention?!" Dumbledore shouted in dismay.

Oh yes Harry was. He was wondering if Dumbledore was, though.

"You can't learn the Prophecy!" Dumbledore stated. "Not until you can keep Professor Snape successfully out of your mind for at least three weeks-"

"Three weeks?!" Harry shouted back. He didn't think he'd survive three hours let alone weeks. Even then, hours felt like pushing the limits.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. I believe we'll have him tutor you through the rest of the semester and then throughout the summer. It took be enough to keep your skills sharp. Severus will be happy to donate his time to this cause-"

Before Harry could ask anymore on the subject, the door opened.

Severus poked his head in to the office. "Headmaster, just here to remind you that in the Prophecy it was 'Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies, and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not, and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives'. That is all. Do not call me back to watch the brat, I will be working on a potion."

Then he vanished back out the door as quick as he came.

Harry turned to Dumbledore with a face that, if we are being honest, can only be described with the phrase: the fuck, dude?

==ACWD==

AN: This was a prompt called 'A Rising Challenge', and this conversation was the most challenging thing I could think of. This was the result. If you think it's stupid, then let's just call it a crack!fic and move on.


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